J Francho

Tom, your canoe is beautifully rigged, and thanks for the detailed explanation of your mods.

I've seen those oddballs spawners too. Personally, when I look at a lake, I look for a relatively solid bottom, some form of cover, like weeds, lay downs, 55 gal. drums, washing machines, LOL, and proximity to deep water. I'm also going to key on structure. Bays and coves off main lake points that feature a strong secondary point are my favorite place to start. One thing to know, if you roll up, and see bedding fish, back off! You need to develop a keen eye to spot potential beds from a distance.

I'm selling on this whole "set with the stronger arm" thing. I'm of slight build, like a buck-fifty wet, and I have no doubt that many of your "weak arms" are much stronger than both of my arms put together. But I guarantee I run a harder stump puller hookset than most. In fact, anyone that fishes with me for the first time sees me swing, and are usually shocked, LOL. Its not from brute strength though, its leverage. Perhaps the fact that I've been playing drums for 30 years has some effect, but I don't feel like my left is any weaker, just slightly less coordinated. Good hook sets are required for certain bait, like weedless jigs or worms, and for both baits, we generally prefer a longer, MH to H rod. Why? Most will say to lift the fish from cover, but before that even happens, the longer rod means more tip speed which equals more line pickup and more potential force created to set the hook. The heavier power rod transmits that force back to the hook. Using braided lines or lines with less stretch works toward this goal as well. Bottom line, reel with whatever side is more comfortable. If you think there is a weakness in your hookset, examine all the parts. Maybe learning to reel with your other hand will help, but I doubt it.

Really, its that stable. It has a 34" beam, and what amounts to a long sponson running up either side of the hull. Another, right before a hook set: And a shot of it on my car:

It might be too light a power for some cover, but will certainly serve you well. I would suggest you use the second spool for braid, something like 30# Power Pro, to aid in fishing the heavily weeded areas near shore. I'd also recommend a second casting rig, 6-7" MH/Fast for things like spinnerbaits, small swimbaits, jigs, and t-rig worms. By using two rods from shore, you can employ a "follow up" strategy. Fan cast a spinnerbait, and if you get bit or miss, use the second rod to throw something like an unweighted worm right back there, or to fish a spot slower to probe for more fish.

Most of the bays around here are either tannin stained or green during different times of the year. I carry around 50 jigs in my jig box. 80% are black or black with an accent color, mostly blue. 15% are watermelon, and the remaining are weird colors. I won't go much further than to say at least one of them is pink, LOL.

Is Google down again?!? Try SFT for a reliable, trustworthy dealer: http://sfttackle.com/. Or you could use one of the sponsors: http://www.bassresource.com/fish/advertisers.html

I've seen it, looks OK, but heavy. As for canoe vs. yak, Its a personal preference. I can carry as much as above, and I can stand. Canoes are far less stable than a wide beam SOT fishing yak. They handle the wind much better. I carry two sizes of drift socks and an anchor. A kayak takes less energy to paddle. Some people are comfortable in canoe, as it feels bigger. With a canoe, you can fish with a partner if desired. Pluses and minuses to each.

Google Search reveals: I could go on....but i don't want to spoil your fun.

No, its a legitimate species, and an ancient one at that. Grunnel is another name for them as well. They've been around a lot longer than bass, that is for sure. I catch a few every year. Hard to argue with a fish that fights well, and can approach 10#. The teeth are an issue, and they will try to bite you. I use a fish gripper that I bought for Northerns to land them, or you can just man up, and grab them behind the gills. Your fish was a female. Here is a small male in full breeding color: ------------------------------------------------ Here's a pic of an oddity my buddy caught a few weeks ago. It is a severely deformed brown trout, a big male at that, weighing in at over 7 lbs. This shot was taken straight on:

Amia calva, or bowfin, dogfish, mudfish, etc.

If I want to learn, I read a book, and try out what I learned in the field. When I want to have fun, I play a game. Just as I would not recommend a video game to learn skateboarding, you can't really learn anything about fishing through a game.

I hope to post up a few more after this weekend, especially after getting skunked in the Salmon River this past weekend.

I fish for trout. Plan to hit three Western NY streams this weekend.

Thanks. I was just curious since the handle appeared very beefy compared to what I am used to. Its very nice looking cork work though, and I'm amazed at how symmetrical it is considering you're using the belt sander. Sounds like a nice stick, though I'd prefer a shorter rear handle for jerks, but for worms and other presentations where you keep the rod tip up, it looks like it will be very comfortable to fish.

These have served me well for the past three winters: http://www.boschautoparts.com/Products/WiperBlades/ME.htm

Just curious, what specific purpose was the rod built for? (I know its for fishing, LOL )

There is just something funny about hypocrisy. Its a dark humor thing.

My pitching, flipping, and frog rods are lefty, all the rest are righty. Its worth noting that my lefty reels are all TD-X HSDL with the clutch on the top. It's just what I'm accustomed to. With most of the newer lopro reels being extremely "lopro" and lots of access to the spool, I could probably get away with all lefties, since its easy to engage the clutch with the heel of the palming hand.

My uncle reeled in a rotting dog carcass once. It was really horrifying.

Location, contact with structure and/or cover, and retrieve angle are what I concentrate on. If you're cranking through clean water, you're doing it all wrong.

Sorry, no I press a button I'm looking forward to the responses though.

How Many smallmouth do you have in dense pads? That was the punchline. See the winking emoticon? ;D

Where I live, anything over 5 is quality.

Either this weekend or next I'm going to the Salmon River in NY to catch some steelhead. Lookin' forward to it 8-) By the way, thanks for the link to those light bulbs. That's much cheaper than actually buying these lamps from the SAD sites. I'm gonna give the bulbs a shot and see what happens. I was there this past Saturday. I went 0-0, LOL, and froze my butt off. Some of the guys in my party caught a few, though they all said it was a slow day. The reports from the few brave souls that went out Sunday were much better, many reporting 10+ hookups. Good luck, and I'll send you a PM with more info